She's Just Full of Surprises
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Jennifer's only mildly confused, really. Mozietobe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here's another Mozie-to-be story. It's still in development. I don't know where the idea came from or where I'm taking it. I hope you like it though. Oh, by the way, I put up my homepage if you're interested (just a myspace).

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of NDSSG, I do own the ones you don't recognize, and all will be used shamelessly as tools. I'm not doing this for profit, only for my own amusement and that of my readers. So neener neener.

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This day has been so long, I'm about ready to say 'screw it' and get out of here. I don't know why I agreed to this, it's completely ridiculous. I mean, I'm standing here in this stupid frilly pink dress while the attendants keep fussing over it and Suzie is laughing behind her hands.

This is all her fault. She's the one who put me in this dumb thing. It's hideous and we both knew that the moment she pulled it off the rack, but I promised her I'd be cooperative. Last time I make that promise. I will never say things like that until I know what's coming at me. I had no idea she'd planned to make me suffer through this indignity.

I don't know why I'm even here. Well…that's a lie. I know exactly why I'm here. I'm here because she asked me to be and I can't refuse her anything. But geez, I didn't think that when she said we were going shopping and she expected my full cooperation that she'd bring me into this place and put me in the most god-awful prom dress ever made!

It makes me wonder what she's planning, because she's definitely up to something. I know her well; she is my best friend after all. I have to put a stop to this humiliation before she takes any pictures.

Click and now it's too late. Curse that camera phone. "Suzie! Why the heck did you take a picture of this!"

"I had to! You look so funny up there all angry and in that dress with the people buzzing around. It's hilarious! I haven't seen you so sour in a long time, it's great." I see her giant grin threatening to take over her face, her eyes glitter brightly with amusement, and it strikes me just how pretty she is. No wonder all the guys are after her.

I glare at her, "well, at least you're amused" I say dryly. "I'm getting out of this monster before you get anymore damaging photos."

"Oh come on Jennifer, just one more, for posterity!" Her plea fell on deaf ears as I ignored her and fled into the changing room my face flaming. I can hear her laughing on the other side of the door and I can't help but chuckle. I have to grudgingly admit that it is funny. But I don't have to let her know that!

I change back into my regular clothes, jeans and a baseball tee with a light jean jacket over it all, and I exit the changing room glowering once more to show just how not amused I am with the situation. I catch sight of her and see that she's still smiling hugely.

"You have to look at this picture Jennifer." She giggles as she moves closer to me holding the phone in her hand, tilting it so I can see the picture. And there I stand on that little stool with that wretched dress draped on me and a very displeased look on my face while the attendants look on with false cheer. It is a rather amusing picture. I fight down my smile though and say flatly "Hilarious."

"You know it is. Come on, we're not done yet. I've got a few more dresses in mind, for the both of us this time. I won't put you in anything like that again." She's looking at me with complete seriousness and I once again relent to those big brown eyes and slight pout.

"Fine, let's go." She surprises me by letting out a squeal and jumping up and down clapping her hands. It only makes me wonder what's gotten into her as I smile and shake my head. I still want to know why she's putting us in prom dresses when to my knowledge there isn't any dance coming up, but she's happy and I don't want to spoil her mood.

She grabs my arms and pulls me back into the racks and sets to looking for more dresses. When she finds one she likes she drapes it over my arm and continues on. I haven't seen her this excited in months, not since she broke up with Jared (a boy she'd met freshman year, dated through that year and most of sophomore year but dumped before summer came, I never knew why though). It makes me glad to see her so joyful.

Seeing her beaming that smile at everyone she sees makes the day feel not so long anymore.

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A/N: That's a teaser; let me know what you think. I'll try to update it regularly but I make no promises.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next little chapter. I hope it meets your satisfaction.

Disclaimer: I love the show, but I don't own it. Also, I'm not making any money on this, though I wish I were, I could always use some extra cash. Stupid being a poor college student, lame.

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I still don't know what she's planning. We've been through two or three stores already and she hasn't found a single dress she likes well enough to buy, at least, not for herself anyway. After that first travesty she put on me she found one that was perfect, well…she said it was perfect, I wouldn't know. She didn't let me see it.

We'd separated for all of four minutes so I could use the bathroom and when I come back she has a box in her hands with a dress inside and she's telling me it's just right for me but I'm not allowed to see it until she says so. No amount of pleading would get her to let me see that dress so I gave up.

"What now? Do we get to find a dress for you? Do I get to pick it out? Or are you going to pull rank on me because I still don't know what these are for?" I'm hoping that will get her to tell me what all of this dress shopping is about. It's still early in the school year and I don't recall our school holding anything that would require formal dress.

"Now…we get to look for my dress, yes. You only get to pick one if it isn't for revenge for my putting you in that mess of a dress earlier. I'll tell you what this is all for later, you don't need to know yet." She's still smiling at me while saying this and I can't help but roll my eyes and grin at that revenge comment. It's so hard to stay irritated with her.

"Fine, fine. Let's go! I saw some really pretty dresses a minute ago that you'd look great in." I grab her by the arm and drag her back into the racks. Our roles are reversed this time around. I'm finding the dresses and slinging them at her so she can try them on.

We take these back to the dressing room and she immediately rules out three of them, that's okay though, I knew she wouldn't like them, I just thought she'd be pretty in them. After that pre-selection three dresses are left. One is jet black, one is royal blue and purple, and the last is emerald green.

Those three she takes into one of the changing rooms and begins trying them on. She tries the black one first; it has one strap across the neck holding the dress up, the bottom portion has a slanted hem from the right knee down to the left ankle with light beading from the neckline down the body to the bottom hem. She looks good but it isn't really a 'wow' kind of dress. "I don't think so" is all she says after showing it to me and making a face that clearly says 'poo poo' in that slow aristocratic way.

I laugh as she retreats into the changing room for the next contestant. She comes back out two minutes later in the blue and purple dress. This one has two spaghetti straps at the shoulders moving into a slight corseted shape covering the torso and then the skirts (for there was more than one layer of them) began at the hips and dropped all the way to the floor. The dress started with the royal blue at the shoulders and gradually transitioned into the dark purple at the bottom of the skirts. She looked great in that one, I thought, but she didn't like it and she said so "This is a little too princess for me". That was the end of that one.

Obviously the last option left was the emerald dress. This one had two inch thick off the shoulder straps and cut across the chest in a manner that clearly begged for the wearer to put on a necklace. There was black lace in the shape of a V tapering from the top down to the waist where it was met with black sash like ribbon shaping the hips. Following that is the skirt portion which slanted from just below the left knee down to the floor on the right side clearly showing the straight cut underskirt of black lace with emerald cloth beneath.

I had no idea how she'd look in that one but I found out as soon as she stepped out of the changing room. I looked up when I heard the door creak and there she stood looking absolutely stunning. So stunning in fact that my jaw nearly came unhinged and I couldn't form cognizant sentences. "Well…what do you think?" She's shy now, she wasn't shy about the other ones, I could hear in her voice that she was nervous. But she's looking at me expecting an answer and I can't give her one because she's taken my breath away.

Somehow I find myself standing, I must have gotten up the moment I caught sight of her and just not noticed, and I take a step closer to her. After inhaling deeply I can only say "That's the one." She seems to accept my simple statement, undoubtedly she felt the same and she beamed that smile once more and the effect of it combined with the dress conspired to make her look more beautiful than ever I've seen her. I could only imagine what she'd look like completely made up in that dress, thinking about it is giving me goose-bumps. That is most definitely the one.

"I think so too" she says quietly looking down at herself with a soft smile. She backs into the changing room and reemerges in her regular clothes with the chosen dress hanging on her arm. She seems to have returned to normal as she practically bounces to the cashier's desk with my dress in a bag on one arm and her as yet un-purchased dress on the other.

I follow behind trying not to laugh at her giddiness and failing miserably. I know she doesn't mind though, she just keeps smiling at everyone. Once the dress is paid for we leave for home. Shoes and accessories, she tells me, are her job and hers alone. I suppose it makes sense since she still won't show me my dress.

"So" I begin once we're settled in my beat up little car "what exactly did you buy us dresses for?" I'm trying to get information; she has me extremely curious now. I mean we just spent two hours looking for gowns and she buys me one without letting me see it (or pay for it) and I'm supposed to just let her. I don't work that way.

"Well…we're going to my cousin Darren's homecoming and you're going to be his date and I-" But that's as far as I let her get before I have to ask another, and to my mind, more important question.

"You're setting me up with your cousin?!" I'm flabbergasted. This is the first I've heard about this cousin and his homecoming dateless-ness. Why does this upset me so much? What was I expecting?

"Not exactly. Let me explain." She's calm but I can see a little worry frown starting and her brows are beginning to draw together.

"Okay, get talking. You've got me a little bit confused. This sure seems like a set up to me." I don't know what else to think of this whole situation. I mean, what the heck? I suppose I should let her explain, I'm sure she's got a perfectly valid one for this, though I can't think of one.

"I promise you this isn't a set up. We're just going to this homecoming with Darren and his friend. You'll be his date and I'll be his friend's date." It all seems so simple when she puts it like that, but I know there has to be a catch because if there weren't she wouldn't be nervous.

"Okay. But why are we doing this at all? I don't get it. Couldn't he have found his own date to this thing? You know…someone from his school." I'm still waiting for the bomb to drop. I know there is one, there has to be, something has to be up or she wouldn't need me for this at all.

"He technically does have a date." "Then why are we-?" "Because his friend is his date. Darren is gay Jennifer, and his parents don't know that. Only his boyfriend Sean and I do. And because he isn't out to his parents he can't exactly tell them he's taking his boyfriend to homecoming, so instead he and Sean are taking us."

Well, that I did not expect. "So, Darren is gay, has a boyfriend, and is taking his cousin and her friend to homecoming so his parents don't find out he's gay?"

"Right." She's looking concerned still. Her eyes haven't left me yet, even though I'm driving and paying attention to the road I can still see her looking at me. "Please Jennifer, just do this. Just come to this stupid dance. You'll like Darren, he's really nice. We're only going so Sean and Darren can go to this together, in a manner of speaking, and-"

"Suzie, stop. I never said I wouldn't go. Of course I will." When we come to a stop I turn to look at her. "I'll go. I'd love to be of some help to him. I just don't think it's really fair for him, Sean, or his parents that they're not out. I mean, I know it could be bad if they came out, it's just…I don't know. They shouldn't have to hide something like that, something that makes them happy. It just…isn't fair." I look away again and back to the road to avoid seeing how my words have affected her. I'm not sure exactly what she'll think.

"I know it doesn't seem right, but it isn't up to us to decide whether or not they should be out. Everyone has to do things their own way; whichever way they feel is best for them. Darren doesn't know how his parents will react so he's holding off. He only came out to me over the summer shortly after I broke up with Jared. He met Sean at a summer camp he counseled at and they hit it off. It's still new." I suppose that makes sense. Going at your own pace is definitely something I believe in.

I feel her hand on my arm, I didn't even know she'd moved, "Are you okay Jennifer?"

I'm still driving but we're almost to my house. I wait before I say anything, trying to compose my thoughts, before deciding on "I will be." I just figure out why all of this bothers me so much, it shouldn't, I mean, it doesn't effect me right? So why am I feeling so…lost?

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A/N: Phew, that took longer to write than it had any right to. I hope you enjoyed this little update. Leave your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wootah! I'm finally updating this one. Go me! I had an idea about how I was going to write this, and then I started writing it and everything came out differently. I don't know where exactly I'm headed with this so bear with me. Also, I don't know anything about fashion and I've only been to one formal dance in my life so…don't expect much.

Disclaimer: I only dream that I own them and then I dream that a bunch of guys in medieval drag start singing the _Elephant Love Song _from Moulin Rouge and then one really pudgy dude gets stripped to his skivvies and _Miss Independent_ starts playing as he dances on a coffee table in front of a group of scantily clad cheerleaders. I hope that tells you something.

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Would I be okay? I mean really? Suzie tells me that I'm going to go to a homecoming with her male cousin, who is gay and has a boyfriend, so he won't have to tell his parents that he's gay, and I'm supposed to just be fine with it?

I'm not sure that I am. I've always been a fan of the 'honesty is the best policy' motto. I guess it's not really any of my business whether he tells his parents he's gay or not. You'd think that'd be something they'd notice though. My family sure noticed how gay my oldest brother Aaron was…is, it wasn't something he hid exactly but still before he came out to us there were definitely signs…the gay porn under his pillow for example.

I just don't understand people sometimes. Love isn't something that should be kept a secret, whether it's gay love or straight love shouldn't really matter. I guess I'm just confused and being in my room with Suzie isn't helping to ease that confusion.

She's been trying to explain to me just why Darren refuses to out himself to his parents. From what I understand, apparently his parents are really conservative and strict people. They tell him all the time just how bad being gay is and that homosexuality is a sin and against the Bible and all that crap. Suzie tells me this in the utmost seriousness and I can hardly believe it. I didn't know such bigoted people still existed.

I had hoped that outmoded thoughts like that were a thing of the past. I guess it's all a generational thing. I know most of the people of my generation are pretty cool about things like homosexuality. To each his own seems to be the motto for my generation. Not for Darren's parents though.

I can tell that Suzie is really worried about my reaction to all of this information, but she's more concerned about taking care of her cousin. After all, he is like a brother to her. I know how important brothers are; I've four of my own. I'd do anything for them and I guess that's how Suzie feels about Darren. My respect for her grows a notch as I realize this.

I didn't know Suzie could be so fiercely loyal, I suppose I still have a lot to learn about this best friend of mine.

"But why did you pick me to be Darren's date?" I'm curious. I know the boys won't be spending much time with us at this dance, at least they shouldn't; they should spend the time they have together _being together_. So, with the boys pretty much out of the picture it's just going to be Suzie and me hanging out together all night. What is she expecting? Why did she pick me?

"Well…You're my best friend. I figured if I was going to have to spend all night being ignored by my cousin and his boyfriend I should at least have someone I could have fun with. And you're the only person I can think of that I'd enjoy spending an unspecified amount of time with at any function, formal or no." The frankness with which she was speaking made it abundantly clear that she was being perfectly honest.

"That's so sweet. You really think spending all that time with me will be fun?" I had to ask. I couldn't just leave it alone. I didn't want her getting bored with me and regretting her decision.

"Jennifer, I just spent the last two hours dress shopping with you and had a blast. How could being at a dance not be fun?" Her eyes are shining and there's a grin threatening to take over her face. It finally breaks into a full on smile and I have to laugh. Seeing her like this and hearing her join me in laughter sends tingles down my spine.

She's so beautiful. With that smile and the sound of her laugh and…wait a minute. What was I just thinking? Suzie's beautiful? The sound of her laugh? What am I thinking?! I can't be…but I am…oh my God. I'm attracted to Suzie. I'm attracted to Suzie? When did that happen?

Why didn't I notice it before? Holy cow! I'm attracted to…not just attracted, falling in love with…I'm falling in love with my best friend. It seems so sudden but thinking the words I feel an overwhelming sense of rightness. I am definitely falling for Suzie. No wonder I was feeling so off earlier today.

It all makes perfect sense. How she can get me to do anything. How her smile makes me smile. How just the lightest of touches gives me goose bumps. How just thinking about those lightest of touches is giving me goose bumps. And why I was so disappointed that she said I was going to be her cousin's date…not hers. But really, in essence, I am going to be Suzie's date. I wonder if she's thinking the same thing. I wonder if she realizes that that's what I'm thinking.

I wonder if it bothers her, or if she planned it that way. Ugh, that's a lot to think about. Sitting in my room with her just got a whole lot more awkward and I can't even talk to her about it. Crap. Wasn't it me just moments ago who was talking about honesty being the best policy?

Looks like when push comes to shove I'm just full of hot air. I'm a hypocrite and I didn't even know it. God, I might be gay. I certainly don't find guys attractive. I wonder why I didn't think of this before. I mean, I've always had just guy friends, it was normal in my house, then Suzie came along and I didn't want any other girl friends. Huh. I guess it's always been Suzie.

Now I know what Ned was always babbling about. Suzie is perfection and I think I'm in love with her. And I can't tell her. Ever. That would just make things weird between us.

So now I have to pretend that I didn't just realize I'm falling in love with her, and I have to go to this dance with her gay cousin and his boyfriend and pretend that I don't want to be with her like Darren is with Sean. Man, this sucks. It's going to be torture.

This girl is my best friend and I'm constantly spending time with her. Now I notice different things about her. The way her hair falls across her face when she looks down. How open and happy her laugh is. How full and absolutely luscious those lips of hers look. The way her pants fit and hug her ever so wonderfully accentuating her shape. The smoothness of her skin. The fineness of her fingers. Oh sweet merciful heaven I'm in trouble.

I'm in love with my best friend and there's nothing I can do about it.

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A/N: If anyone has ideas about what exactly I should do with this thing, please don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail or something. Also, let me know if the reactions I'm writing Jennifer as having seem real to you. I always enjoy reading what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally! Another chapter for my pet project. I wonder why it took me so long. I did much better with the other stories' updates. Ah well, it's up now and I'm happy about that.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from NDSSG, but any of the others that you don't recognize from there are mine; though I hardly want to claim them. I'd much rather have the NDSSG people…well at least two of those people. Oh well.

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I never expected to fall in love with her. It wasn't part of my plan. I don't understand how it happened but it has. One moment I was hearing about her cousin and his problems and the next I'm thinking I'm in love with my best friend.

The world is so messed up sometimes. But I guess this is the best kind of messed up. I've always been told that love is never wrong, I'm not sure if I believe that's true in all cases but I definitely think it applies here.

My being in love with Suzie makes perfect sense. We've always been similar in our interests and tastes. I've heard that we look for ourselves in our perfect partner. I always thought that was bogus until now. Suzie and I have been pushed together for the last several years now, not romantically, but as friends. People have been trying to make us best friends since middle school and now that we are I have to discover that I don't have very friendly feelings at all. I'm completely in love with her.

I almost wish it wasn't true, but then I'd be lying to myself. I can't deny that I've always felt something more for Suzie than I've felt for anyone else. There's always been an underlying passion to us; first in our arguments, now in our friendship. When we argued I always felt a certain heat and fire that I didn't get fighting with anyone else. She just excited me more. The prospect of out-doing her always got me going. I never wondered at it before now but it makes total sense that it was because I was attracted to her. People say there's a fine line between love and hate. Well, I've crossed it.

There's two weeks until the dance. The dance where I'm basically her date. Her date. Wow, that's weird to think about. I'm going to be Suzie's date to a homecoming dance. Well, effectively her date. I'm supposed to be Darren's date but that's just a cover. I'm just supposed to keep Suzie company while her cousin macks on his boyfriend, but I'm thinking of it more and more as if it were a date. I wonder how she feels about it.

She's in my room right now. Actually we're both lying on my bed. We were doing homework a few minutes ago and now we're just relaxing watching the small black and white television on my dresser. I wonder if I should ask her about it now. I think I will. I really want to know what she thinks.

"Suzie?"

"Hm?" She turned to look at me as I rolled to face her.

"This dance, I know I'm supposed to be your cousin's date but I'm really only there to keep you company. Doesn't that sound like I'm going as your date? Because it sounds like that to me and I was wondering what you thought." I'm more nervous than I should be. It's not like this one conversation is going to change anything, right?

"Huh. I guess it does sort of make you my date. Why? Does that bother you? Because if it does you don't have to go, I could just…I don't know, take Missy or something, though she wouldn't be as good company as you are and I'm not comfortable telling her about Darren. Would be such a terrible thing to be my date?" She rolled to face me too and that gave me the opportunity to look into her face. She seems as nervous as I feel.

To give her space I roll onto my back again and respond "No, that wouldn't be a terrible thing. It doesn't bother me. I was just wondering what you thought about it. I've been thinking about it since you told me that Darren was gay and I was only there so you wouldn't be all on your lonesome. I don't think it would be a terrible thing at all to be your date…" The last words I said quietly but I'm sure she heard me.

I can feel her eyes on me for a few moments before she settles onto her back again. "Good. Because asking anybody else to go with me would just be dumb." I don't know if she's doing that to make me feel better or to ignore my last statement and I really don't care.

I'm more worried about what she isn't saying. She isn't telling me that it isn't a date. She isn't telling me that she wants it to be a date. She isn't telling me she's interested in me that way. She isn't telling me she isn't interested in me that way. She isn't telling me a lot of things and it's all making me anxious. I want to know how she feels.

I know that she feels comfortable with me. I know that she doesn't want to tell anyone else about her cousin and his problems. I know that she came to me first and didn't even really consider anyone else. But there's still so much I don't know. And I know she isn't keeping me in the dark on purpose. She's doesn't know I'm having all of this confusion.

I don't know what I'm going to do with this girl. She's such a mystery. But I guess that's part of her draw, part of what makes her so attractive. She's someone I don't completely understand but want to. I want to understand her. I want her to understand me. Simplified: I want her and I want her to want me.

I wish things could be simple, but then they wouldn't be any fun would they. It's like math. The simple things just aren't any fun. You don't get any sense of accomplishment from finishing one of those problems. But calculus, you feel great when you finish one of those problems. Suzie is a very complex calculus problem and I can't wait to try and figure her out.

Suddenly I'm looking forward to this dance. Maybe I'm worried over nothing. Maybe this really is what she's fronted it as. Maybe I am only going to be company for her while her cousin spends time with his boyfriend. So why am I so disappointed at that thought?

Do I really want to complicate our relationship with romance? Do I really want Suzie and me to be something more than best friends? Hell yes I do! I want her to want me. I don't think I can handle being just friends anymore. But how do I tell her that? What am I supposed to do? Do I tell her? When? How?

I'll figure it out. I have to. I don't want to let her slip through my fingers. I've been given a fantastic opportunity here and I'd better take advantage of it. For just one night I have Suzie pretty much all to myself.

I just have to tell her that I'm completely in love with her, make her fall madly in love with me, and live happily ever after. It couldn't be that hard. Could it?

A/N: There we go. I feel better now, don't you? Let me know.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Soooo, here's another chapter. I wanted to have it up earlier but life conspired against me and I was unable to write this before tonight.

Disclaimer: The characters of NDSSG don't belong to me. I'm only borrowing them for the duration of this story…and all the other stories I write in this fandom. Hopefully the real owners won't take offense to my use of their mind-babies.

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Apparently it could. Telling her how I feel is just a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Every time I think I've worked up the courage to spit it out, I stop myself.

I'm afraid to tell her. I'm afraid she'll think I'm some kind of freak and stop being my friend. I'm afraid of what it would mean to say it out loud to her…to anyone. Admitting it to myself, in my head, is one thing; telling it to others is a whole different situation.

I don't think I'm prepared to announce it to the whole world just yet. I'm not sure of a lot of things. The only thing I am sure of is that I have strong feelings for Suzie, I'm in love with her, and I really want to tell her but am too cowardly to.

I didn't know it would be so hard. I didn't know that the words would die in my throat every time I looked into her eyes. And I look into her eyes a lot now. I wonder if she's noticed the change. I wonder if she cares.

I know that I have to tell her. There's just no getting around it. But when and how should I tell her? I want to just be able to look into her eyes and say that I find her almost unbearably attractive and every moment I spend without her brings me closer to heartbreak. But I don't know if that would go over well…it doesn't even express a fraction of what I feel for her.

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The dance is fast approaching, only a week left. I still haven't seen the dress I'm supposed to wear, but Suzie keeps assuring me it's fabulous. She's already taken care of everything else; like the accessories, hair appointments, and transportation. She's really quite excited about this whole thing.

"Jeeeeeenifeeeer" and that's her sing-songing her way to me through the hall. "Only a week left! Aren't you excited?!" I can see that she's giddy; she's practically bouncing with unbridled energy and has a smile splitting her face in half. She's beautiful.

"Of course I'm excited, but I'd be even more excited if I knew what I was going to be wearing…" Another bid to get the information I want out of her, it's chancy but it just may work.

"Ah ah ah" she says, wagging her finger at me, "You know you don't get to know about the dress until dance night. Stop trying to guilt the info out of me." Ah well, I tried. At least we can still enjoy this playful banter…and is it just me or was that flirting?

"Okay, okay, okay, can I just ask one question?" There's something that's been bothering me and I wonder what she has to say.

"That was a question, but I'll let you ask another." She wrinkles her nose at me for a moment before sobering and waiting for me to ask.

"It's about the dress…I know I haven't seen it and I totally trust your judgment, but why did you pick it for me? Why did you pick the one you did?" I know it seems like a silly question, but it's been bothering me for a while. I don't need to see the dress if I know how she feels about it.

"I saw it and I knew that it was made for you. I got it because…because it'll be beautiful on you." She's struggling with her words, almost as though she's not expressing exactly what she means, but something in what she said got to me…

"It'll be beautiful on me? Don't you mean I'll be beautiful in it?" Her brow furrows for a moment before she turns to me and looks in my eyes to respond.

"No. I meant exactly what I said. The dress will be beautiful with you in it; you don't need any help from your clothes, trust me." The tone she said that with and the look she gave me while saying it tells me that she's thought about this a lot. There's a little bit of exasperation and amusement in her face and her voice.

I'm definitely not worried about the dress anymore…she thinks about me, about how I look…maybe there's hope for me yet. Suddenly I am truly excited about this dance. I want to see how she handles the whole thing. I want to find out how she feels.

I really want to find out why she thinks about how I look with…or without clothes.

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A/N: Meh hehehehehe, I feel evil. Anyway, I hope you're not too disappointed with the terrible shortness of this chapter, but I've been struck with writer's block. (If any of you read web comics, you should check out Dan Shive's 'El Goonish Shive' at keen spot to take a gander at the writer's block. His representation is just about the cutest I've ever seen.) I hope to have more stuff up tomorrow and Friday.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I know I promised at least one of you that this would be up this morning, but because I'm a terrible person I didn't have it ready so it's going up in the afternoon instead. I hope you aren't too disappointed. I was still struggling with writer's block and hoping to abate it by watching my brother play videogames. Apparently it worked. Anyway, here's the chapter, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of NDSSG but the guys that aren't from there are totally mine…not that they're anything much. Just more of my tools. Ah well.

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It's the day before the dance now. Suzie and I are driving to her aunt's house where we'll be staying the night. We're coming up a day early so we'll already be in town for the appointments and all that fun stuff tomorrow.

I'm kind of excited actually. I finally get to meet Darren and Sean. Suzie's been talking about them both since telling me why we're doing this. She keeps assuring me that I'll really like these two; I'm pretty sure I will too. If they meet with her approval than I know they're good people.

I'm still anxious to see the dress she picked out. It's shocking how well she was able to hide it from me; and for so long too! It's been driving me nearly crazy not knowing what it looks like. After our talk last week I stopped worrying about how I'd look in it and more about why Suzie thinks I can make clothes beautiful by wearing them.

That implies that she thinks about how I look doesn't it? And about how things would look on me? Do I really figure into her thoughts that much? And if I do, what does that mean? Does it mean that she's attracted to me too? Or is it just something girls notice about their friends?

I don't have enough experience with female friends to be able to answer those questions. It's pretty much only been Suzie that I hang out with on a regular basis since middle school. I certainly didn't picture any of my female friends in different clothes before becoming friends with Suzie. And then I'm pretty sure I only imagined different outfits on her because I'm attracted to her. So does her thinking about clothes on or off me mean she's attracted to me too?

Thus far we've been in a comfortable silence in the car, but as we started nearing our destination Suzie started fidgeting and acting generally nervous. It worried me that just getting closer to her aunt's house was having such a strong effect on her; it made me wonder just what she was imagining would happen.

"Suzie, what's wrong?" Her head snaps in my direction as I ask the question and the wideness of her eyes gives a clear indication to her emotional state. She's afraid and realizing this doesn't exactly comfort me. If she's afraid I have to wonder what's making her that way; what could throw her so off balance?

She starts to answer my question (at least she opens her mouth like she was going to) but stops and clams up again. After a few moments of the same open and close routine she finally heaves out a sigh and says "I'm worried. I'm worried about how long we'll be able to keep up this charade in front of my aunt. She's fairly perceptive and to make any plans we have to make sure she doesn't overhear anything so we'll have to sneak around a bit and that could lead to a bunch of problems. And then there's the fact that neither of the boys screams 'straight' when they're in each other's company and the fact that neither of them wants to hide their relationship anymore. There's also some normal anxiety about the dance and the dresses and all that silly stuff…it's just a lot to think about and it's all making me nervous and a little scared."

I know she wants to say more; there's a look in her eyes that tells me she hadn't said everything that was on her mind. Which means that she's keeping something from me, and from the way she's wringing her hands, it's something big. But I have to let it slide for now because she's giving me a pleading look which is begging me to let the subject drop.

I won't press her for more but I can't let it go completely. "First, don't worry about the silly dance things. You'll look fabulous and I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun, even if the boys don't hang out with us much. Next, what plans are there left to make? Maybe we can get them out of the way by going out with Darren later tonight so his mom won't be around. And if she hasn't figured out his relationship with Sean by now, chances are she's not going to find out before tomorrow night. Personally, I can't blame them for wanting to be open about their relationship. I think they should be too. It isn't fair to them to have to hide; I don't care how intolerant their parents are, they're still parents and they should be proud of their children for being brave enough to be honest with them. But, it's their decision whether or not they're ready to come out. There're always ways to stay together and keep it secret. You'd be surprised how easy it is to stay quiet when you're afraid of other people's reactions."

Of course that last came from personal experience about the problem I'm having right now. I want to tell Suzie how I feel about her, but I'm afraid of how she'll react so I stay silent on the matter. She doesn't know I'm attracted to her and until I work up the courage to tell her, she won't.

Diverting my attention between driving and glancing at Suzie I notice that she's actually considering my words. The little furrow between her eyebrows is a clear sign that she's working through some things.

"I guess you're right. It won't be all that hard to deceive Aunt Beth, I mean if she hasn't figured it out yet she probably won't in the next twenty-four hours right? Right. I shouldn't even worry about that. But, what do you mean it's easy to stay quiet? To keep secrets?" She sounds hurt for a moment; as though she knows I'm keeping something from her.

The note in her voice makes her sound more fragile than I'd ever suspected her of being. Hearing it makes me want to grab her up in my arms and hold her there forever; protect her from the world…all those kinds of 'knight-in-shining-armor' feelings.

That's kind of funny now that I think about it. Suzie's my damsel in distress. I almost completely forgot she asked a question until she poked me out of my thoughts and gave me a pointed look.

"I only mean that it's easier to keep a secret than you might think; especially when it's a big secret that could change your whole life for better or worse. It's hard to face people Suzie, harder still to be completely honest with them. It's just easier to keep the secret than it is to deal with possible hardships. It might hurt to keep the secret but it's better than losing the people you care about by letting it go and getting a bad reaction."

That sobered my mood considerably. It really does hurt to keep a secret from those you love. It's hard to face the possibility of losing them.

"Easier to keep the secret?! Jennifer, keeping secrets is just like lying, it's not good at all!" Why is she mad at me? I didn't make the rules for social etiquette. I hate keeping secrets, but that doesn't make it any easier to tell the truth.

"I didn't say that it was. Just that it was easier than losing everything just because you don't fit the image of what someone thinks you should be." I heard the quaver in my voice, felt my face flush, and the heat of tears burn behind my eyes. I don't know exactly where all this emotion came from but it's high time it came out.

"Jennifer…who are you afraid of losing?" The question is so quiet that I almost missed it. But I heard it and she knows I did. I can't answer it though. I'm not sure she wants the answer either.

I'm afraid of losing her.

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A/N: There we have it. Longer than the last one, but still kind of short. Thoughts, anyone?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here we go. I've been stuck on the other two stories so I decided to pump this out before my power goes out and I won't be able to post anyway. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to put one of these in every chapter? Would one at the beginning of a story work for the whole thing? Everybody knows they aren't mine except in my fondest day dreams.

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We're almost there. If I can keep my mouth shut for just five more minutes than we'll be at her aunt's house and I won't have to answer that question. Just five more minutes and I'll be home free.

"Pull over."

"What?!" Her quiet command startled me and because I'm not sure of her intentions just now I don't immediately obey. "Why?"

"Because I told you to. Pull over." She isn't looking at me. There's a stiffness in her words that chills me…it's like she's angry, but I don't know what she has to be angry about. She can't be that mad at me for not answering her question.

"But we're almost there…" I say this reasonably but she's not having any of it.

"Jennifer, just do it. Pull over. We're going to finish our conversation before we get there. Now pull over or so help me I'll make you pull over." I glance at her and see she's sitting up straight, spine rigid, and has a stony look on her face. This is the body language that brooks no argument so with a heavy sigh I obey and pull over.

We're completely alone on this road, there are no cars anywhere. I thought that was a little odd but decided not to comment on the lack of life on this street on a Friday night, she's already upset with me and I'd rather not push my luck with silly questions.

She got out of the car shortly after I'd parked the car and she took the keys with her. She walked into a bare field a few yards and I followed silently knowing this was expected of me. Looking up all I can see is the vast expanse of stars shining against their purple black sky; neither clouds nor any distant airplanes are in sight.

All this emptiness of sky and land made me feel truly alone against Suzie's wrath. But instead of the anger I had expected turned on me I am confronted instead with defeat and resignation. Looking at her as she turns to face me nearly breaks my heart. She looks so sad; like any moment she could collapse into despair…

I'm not sure what to do to prevent that. My instinct is to rush to her and hold her but I think that would be an unwelcome gesture right now. In my uncertainty I decide it would be best to just stuff my hands into my pockets and wait. She wants to talk…so I'll let her.

"Jennifer...please answer my question. I know you heard it and I know you're trying to avoid it but I really need to know…who are you afraid of losing?" She's speaking softly and there's a note in her voice that tells me she's struggling to keep her voice from shaking. And even though I can see the beginnings of tears in her eyes I can also see the fire of determination burning there.

She won't stop until I give an answer, but I can't give her the honest answer. Maybe I can just avoid it with a white lie… "I'm not afraid of losing anyone, Suzie. I was just talking about people in general." Even as I speak the words I can tell she doesn't believe them. They rang false in my ears too.

"Don't lie to me. Please. You weren't talking in generalities. You were speaking from personal experience. I could hear it in your voice. Nobody talks with as much emotion about something they're only making generalizations about. Just tell me the truth." Even though she was admonishing me I could hear a faint note of hope underlying her words.

Does she want me to tell her that it's her I'm afraid of losing? Is that what she's hoping for? It certainly seems like it. With each word she'd taken steps closer to me. I could see her face clearly now that she was close and there was definite hope there and need and maybe a little desperation.

"I don't want to talk about this Suzie." I'm trying so hard to ignore my own want of her and to ignore her desire too. If I let this happen…if I tell her…what are the consequences going to be? Her eyes flash with anger and I know I've pushed farther than I should, but I couldn't help it. I don't know if I'm ready to tell her.

"Too bad! You don't just say things like that in the middle of a conversation and not be prepared to explain yourself! You can't do that! So stop trying to get out of answering and just tell me!" It's cold enough out here that I can see the puffs of her breath as she's trying hard not to yell at me. Her raised voice is enough to let me know just how upset she is.

I stay silent, pleading with my eyes to get her to drop the subject. When she doesn't seem willing to drop it I know I have to say something. "I can't." It was only a whisper and full of the hurt I was trying to fight down. In my struggle over this I hadn't noticed until now that tears had started leaving tracks down my cheeks.

"You can. Please, Jennifer…you know you can." She comes even closer and I feel her hands on my face. The pads of her thumbs wipe away the tears as they fall. She's whispering words to me and I have to make an effort to listen. Her mouth is right next to my ear and I can feel her lips just barely touching it as she speaks. "What if I told you that I already know the answer? You won't lose me, Jennifer, I promise."

"How do you know?" The question is sad and pathetic and just a little petulant.

Hands still on my face and lips still touching my ear she gives me the biggest shock of my life to date "I know because I feel the same and have for a long time now. I was just foolishly waiting for you to say it first." A sad little chuckle punctuates her words and I find myself drawing back to look at her in wonder. She looks at me with an amused grin quirking her lips. "Will you answer me now?"

"You already know the answer." More petulance from me as I let my eyes drop to stare at my shoes. They're good shoes, I like them. Probably why I bought them. No…I bought them because she told me to on a shopping trip four months ago and I did without even thinking about why. Even then she had a hold on me.

"I'd still like to hear it from you." Her words remain soft and turn coaxing. The sound makes me want to tell her and so I do.

Swallowing around the lump in my throat I choke out the words "You. I'm afraid of losing you. I don't know how it happened or when, exactly; all I know is that I've been scared to tell you this ever since I realized it…" Taking a deep breath I prepare myself to take the final plunge and tell her the whole truth. "I love you, Suzie. I'm in love with you. And it terrifies me to say it because you're you, and it's really hard to get past that."

She laughs a little which draws my eyes up from staring at my feet to look at her. She has tears of her own leaving marks through the little makeup she wears and the most beautiful smile I've ever seen brightening her features.

She once again closes the distance between us and grabs me up in a tight hug. As my arms drift around her middle to reciprocate the embrace I hear her give a shuddering sigh and say "I love you too. God…how I love you." I feel her place a soft kiss on the bare skin of my neck and it makes me smile.

I drop my own kiss on the side of her head and lapse into the comfort of the embrace. Standing here with her in my arms I feel like the whole world is finally at peace. Nothing could shatter my newfound calm. It was so easy to believe that in that moment she and I were the only people on the planet, that the stars were shining just for us, and that the moon was smiling its blessing.

And she had to go and ruin it by reminding me that the rest of the world still existed and was waiting for us to get back in it. "Alright, now we can go to my aunt's house. I'm sure she's wondering where we are right about now." With that she pulls out of my arms and starts walking back to my car.

"I've got the keys so I'm driving the rest of the way." Huh? Oh yeah, she did take my keys. She's not driving my baby! Not Cupcake!

"Oh no! You're not driving my Cupcake. Not with the way you drive. You're a freaking maniac behind the wheel!" I jog to catch her but she had too much of a head start. She's already jumping behind the wheel when I'm only halfway there, I know she ran those last two yards…she knows I'd never let her drive willingly.

"Too late, I'm already here! Now sit down and buckle up. We're nearly there anyway." I glare at her a moment before conceding. Strapping myself in I ponder something for a moment before letting the question slip.

"Fine. But in compensation will you at least tell me what my dress for tomorrow looks like?" A truly last ditch effort. I know it won't work, but I have to try. Maybe she'll feel sorry enough for me to tell me.

"Nope. Not a chance, princess. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow." Princess? _Princess_?! Where did that come from? Since when am _I _a Princess? That is so wrong. But if she wants to start embarrassing pet names I'll just have to think of a better one…too bad I'm no good at it. Oh well.

"Oh come on! That's not fair. _You _know what _your_ dress looks like! And you're driving _my _car! Please? You owe me that much."

"Ha! I do not. You don't get to see it until tomorrow."

"This is so unfair!"

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A/N: Wootah. I promised I'd get something up…well, that's something! Thoughts? Any ideas for embarrassing pet names? I've never been good at that.


	8. Chapter 8

So we were here. We had made it to Suzie's aunt's house. Sure Suzie had almost hit a kid, three mailboxes and one trash can in the mere five minutes between where we pulled over and the house…but that's beside the point. I was just glad to make it there in one piece.

I had been reflexively clutching what my father affectionately dubbed the 'oh shit bar' and was relieved to be able to release it. I don't know how Suzie managed to get her license. She's a terrible driver. She doesn't seem to realize this though, because right now she's all smiles and giggles. It would be cute if I weren't severely traumatized and regaining feeling in my hands.

I'm about to say something when I realize where we are, what had led to our being here, what had occurred on the trip, and that there was a middle aged woman knocking on Suzie's window. I can only assume that's her aunt; Beth, I think her name was. But I'd have to call her Mrs. Morgan.

I can see a minor family resemblance between the two. Mrs. Morgan has a slightly wider head but they have the same cheekbones, nose and eyebrows. Her hair is lighter than Suzie's; it's a brown a shade darker than my own. For all that she looked like Suzie, she wasn't pretty. Her lips were too large and covered with an awful red lipstick that showed on her teeth when she smiled. Her ears stuck out from the sides of her head and were adorned with thick gold hoop earrings. But the worst, and most distracting, feature was a large mole on her right cheek that had sprouted a few hairs.

As if the mole weren't enough her voice, when she used it to greet Suzie, was high pitched with a whining nasal quality that made her sound like a squealing three year old. Hearing it was akin to nails dragging across a chalkboard repeatedly, except that the chalkboard would have been more pleasant.

"Suuuuu-zie! Fiiiiii-nally, you're heeeee-re! We've been waiting aaaaa-ges for you to get heeeeere. What tooook you so loooooong? And what is this piece of junk you're driving?!" If her looks hadn't garnered my instant dislike, her insulting my baby did. No one rags on my car!

"Hi Aunt Beth. This fine vehicle is Cupcake. She's a dream to drive." I know Suzie is only trying to appease me, it's sweet, but it doesn't help. I climb out of the car to collect my thoughts before I just scream in annoyance. Suzie had already popped the trunk and climbed out to greet her aunt properly.

I don't know how, but this woman has gotten on my very last nerve in less than two minutes. I didn't know it was possible to annoy me that quickly. I'd thought for sure that Ned had inoculated me against annoyance, I suppose I was wrong.

Unfortunately, as I climb out Mrs. Morgan notices me and brilliantly asks "Ooooh, who's your friiiiiieeend, Suuuuu-zie?" I briefly glance up and see Suzie's wince at her aunt's excited squealing before she visibly collects herself to answer.

"That's my best friend Jennifer. She's going to be Darren's date for the dance tomorrow. Oh, and Cupcake is her car. I took the keys from her a little while ago so I could be the one to pull into your driveway." Not exactly why she'd taken the keys but it's a convenient excuse.

"Well, I'm just glad to know that you don't have to drive this death trap. Surely your mother takes better care of you than that." I want to slap her…hard; Cupcake is not a death trap! But I just shake her hand and continue unloading our things, now with Suzie's help. It's good to know that she's capable of speaking without the extended vowels, too bad that squealing never quite leaves her voice.

Once all our things are gathered Mrs. Morgan ushers us inside and shows us to the room we'll be sharing. She informs us that Darren should be getting back from work soon and that all he'd talked about for the last two weeks was this dance and how excited he is. How does she not know that he's gay? No straight guy I've ever known gets excited about a formal event, and if they do get excited it certainly doesn't last for two weeks.

If I hadn't believed it before from what Suzie had told me about her, I now knew for a fact that this Beth Morgan is an idiot; a closed-minded, blissfully ignorant idiot.

While she goes to get a snack for all of us Suzie takes me on a tour of the house. Leading me by the hand she shows me all the rooms, the pictures on the walls, and ends in the kitchen where she drops my hand before it's seen she was ever holding it, and we perch on stools at the counter.

Simple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are placed before us and we make small talk as we wait for Darren to return. Mrs. Morgan asks us both questions about what we want to be. Suzie answers that she wants to be a teacher, to which her aunt instantly praises her.

"Oh that's so wonderful, Suzie. Helping kids learn and develop is such an admirable profession. Jennifer? What do you want to be?" I can tell by the way she asks that she already disapproves of me entirely. I consider telling her something completely false, joking, like I want to be a stripper or something but she would probably take it literally.

Instead I just answer "I want to be an architect. It's the perfect combination of math and wood." That's pretty much what I'd said years ago at the middle school Career Day and it still holds true. I had never lost my passion for either woodwork or complex math. In fact, I was rather proud of both.

But as I said, Mrs. Morgan already entirely disapproved of me and responded with "But that's man's work. You aren't a man. Why would you want to do something as dull as that? You couldn't have a family and be an architect. Really women shouldn't have careers at all, their only job is to make their husbands happy and raise their children as good Christians."

I was so stunned at hearing that that my mind went blank. I couldn't believe she had just said that. I looked at Suzie and saw she was just as dumbfounded as I, though that didn't comfort me any. How could any woman think so subserviently? Man's work? Only job is to make their husbands happy? I take it back, this woman isn't an idiot; she's insane!

I try to be as polite as possible as I reply, but it's all I can do to keep from shouting obscenities at her. "Well, ma'am, I don't think being an architect is dull at all. I find math fascinating and enjoy building things. I have since middle school. And of course a woman could have a family and a career. A marriage is a partnership after all so a man would have just as much responsibility to his wife and family as the woman does."

I see fire shoot up in her eyes but before she can negate my response the front door opens and the voice of a young man is heard saying "Mom? I'm home. Who's car is out front?" We can hear his steps coming towards us and he turns the corner and lets out an excited whoop as he charges Suzie and catches her up in a bear hug. "Suzie! I'm so glad you're here! What took you so long, girly? I feel like I've been waiting ages!"

He was a handsome creature. He too had the family cheekbones, nose and eyebrows but they were somehow more masculine, more defined on his face. He also had a well carved jaw and perfect lips. The curly black hair topping his head did nothing to detract from his appeal. And all of this perfection was set above what appeared to be a well muscled athletic body. He was around two inches taller than me and carried himself with perfect posture. Any straight woman or gay man in the world would be all too happy to have him. If I weren't already so in love with his cousin I would want him. As it stands, he's still pretty to look at.

He releases Suzie and instantly his attention is on me. "Is this the infamous Jennifer you've told me so much about? Isn't she a vision? You have wonderful taste, cousin mine. Hi, I'm Darren. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you!" He enthusiastically shakes my hand and I find myself instantly liking him. His good humor is so infectious that I find myself forgetting all about the would-be argument I was starting with his mother.

I can see why he's Suzie's favorite cousin, he's a trip. I haven't met anyone so completely perky in my life. I get the feeling he would make an excellent cheerleader or life coach. He is so obviously gay, it's laughable. I can't believe his parents don't know yet. I can understand now why he hasn't told them though. His mother is a complete Christian conservative; she would not take kindly to having a gay child in her family. And if his father is anything like his mother, well…he has good reason for staying in the closet.

But I don't really want to think about that right now. His mother has gone to allow us teenagers to get acquainted, or reacquainted, though with a stern admonition of 'no funny business' given almost exclusively to me. I suddenly understand where her hostility comes from now, she thinks I'm going to take her boy away from her. She has no idea just how wrong she is. No girl is ever going to take him away from her. If I didn't already dislike her so much I'd pity her.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I know it's taken me abysmally long to get another chapter up. It's unacceptable. I'm trying though! I just have motivational issues.

Disclaimer: I don't have the attention span to own/write a show.

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I'm glad that Suzie's aunt, Beth, finally left us alone. I don't think much more time in her company would be good for my sanity or her health, seeing as how I'd end up hurting her if I had to listen to anymore of her narrow minded speeches. That woman makes the Catholic Church look downright accepting. I still can't believe people like her still exist.

Oh well, not everything can be perfect I guess. I just have to put that woman out of my mind, especially now that I have Darren to focus on; and he's much more pleasant. I find it hard to believe that someone so nice was born of someone so…ugh. It makes me wonder what his father is like; he must be something special to stay with her.

We teens migrated to the living room to talk more. Darren was just as exuberant now as he was in the kitchen which relaxes me more than anything else could right now. He's so open and friendly it's impossible not to like him. I wonder if Sean is the same way; that would almost be too much.

"So, Suzie," Darren begins, "I assume you've told Jennifer here all about the situation."

"Yeah, she knows. I told her weeks ago when I dragged her dress shopping." Suzie smiles at the memory. I know she's remembering me in that awful pink monstrosity with the store assistants gathered around and clucking at me while I look ready to blow fire on them all. What did she do with that picture she took anyway?

"Oh, I remember the picture you sent me. That had to be hilarious in person!" Oh, that's what she did with the picture. Wonderful, my humiliation was sent to her cousin whom I hadn't met at the time. "Sorry Jen, but you looked like an angry seven year old with a toothache in that dress and all those people cooing over you. It was adorable!"

"Gee thanks. It was always my life's ambition to have seven adult women tell me I look fabulous in the most hideous dress ever sewn. Whatever shall I do with myself now that my one dream is achieved?" The sarcasm was heavy and appreciated by the cousins as I saw them answer my comments in smirks.

"Well, you could always find another awful dress and wear it in public asking everyone you see how you look in it." Suzie is sporting a grin as she tells me this. "You never know what kind of responses you'd get."

"You first Suzie. You already put me in one horrid dress and took a picture. It's my turn to put you in something atrocious and parade you around in public!" Not exactly a witty rebuttal, but it serves its purpose.

"But, it was never my goal to wear the most awful thing I could find and have people fawn over me while wearing it. Remember, my goal is to become a teacher." She's all innocent smiles.

Darren looks between the two of us as I pretend to fume at Suzie. "Not that your couple banter isn't fascinating, but I want to know what Jennifer thinks about this whole thing."

That got our attention off of each other long enough for Darren to give me a searching look. I collected my thoughts before answering, "At first I was uncomfortable with the idea. It seemed easier to me to just come out and do what you wanted to do, without the cover. But after meeting your mother, I can understand the need for this plan. I doubt she would take the news very well; and that conclusion came after just one short conversation with her. I'm okay with this. I still think you should probably tell your parents before they find out from someone else, but it's your decision to make."

He nodded his acceptance of my words. "I feel pretty much the same way," he said, "but I'm not ready yet to tell them. I want to be able to take care of myself before I do. As you've noticed, my mom isn't very accepting of things like this and I have a feeling that she'll kick me out once she does know. Dad is more open-minded but he doesn't make most of the decisions around here. I'd be kicked out faster than he could think of a reason why I shouldn't be. I will tell them eventually, they deserve to know, but not yet."

That's very reasonable of him. I like him even better for planning ahead. It's sad that he has to plan for the worst though. A guy like him deserves better than to be afraid of his parents.

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the plan for tomorrow. Jennifer and I have an appointment to keep for our hair and nails. What will you be doing, Darren?"

"Well, Sean and I have got to wash and decorate his car so it'll be ready to go. It's going to be beautiful, I promise. Then we've got to pick up our tuxes. After that it's just a matter of getting dressed and picking you up for dinner. We're bringing disposable cameras. We're also going to take two sets of pictures at the dance; one for the parents with the 'straight' couples, and then the real couples."

How did he know Suzie and I are a couple? I mean, that just happened tonight and we didn't tell him about us. This bothered me enough that I had to ask, "Darren, how did you know that she and I are a couple?"

"Oh! You're all Suzie has been talking about for months!" I shoot a look at Suzie and see her blush darkly and avert her eyes to the floor. Darren noticed that reaction too and continued, "I just assumed that with how much she'd been talking about you that the two of you were together. Was I wrong? Suzie?"

"Ahem, well…the couple thing only happened earlier tonight. Everything before was just my wishful thinking." She's looking at her hands which were twisting together in what had to be a nervous habit. Her blush was still dark, stretching down part of her neck and coloring her ears. I had no idea that she'd felt that way for as long as she had. She must have carried her feelings around for months longer than I'd been dealing with mine. I wonder how she managed to hide it from me so well and for so long.

Darren looked amused, "Only tonight? With the way she talked about you I was sure that you'd been together for much _much_ longer. It seems my little cousin misled me." This was said with a smile and an arched eyebrow.

"No kidding. I didn't know she'd felt that way for as long as she did. If I had, we probably would have been together a long time ago!" She looked up at me and smiled sheepishly before turning a glare on her cousin.

"Thanks for revealing my secrets, there, Darren! Much appreciated. I really needed Jennifer to know that I'd pined after her for months before actually telling her how I felt. Jeez!" She was fuming in mock anger and still blushing darkly. She must have been really embarrassed about this whole thing.

It makes me glad to know that she had felt the same way I had for far longer than I had, it somehow makes our pit stop earlier tonight more honest. She wasn't just reacting to my babbling; she actually felt the same. My heart feels much lighter now. I didn't know I'd been worried about that until just this moment. Wow.

"Aww, I'm sure Jen doesn't mind knowing you were mooning after her months ago, do you Jen?" He puts on the same innocent smile that Suzie had worn earlier and it makes me wonder how these two aren't siblings instead of cousins, they look so very alike.

"I don't mind at all Darren. In fact, it makes me feel much better knowing she's been languishing over this as much as I have." That brought her eyes up to mine fully and her blush disappeared as a smile lit up her face.

"It's getting late. And if I'm not mistaken, hair, nails, and make-up take a long time which means you two have to get up early. So, I guess this is where we call it a night. Sleep well, both of you. Tomorrow is going to be a big day." With that Darren got up and went to his room leaving Suzie and I to sort ourselves out.

"Did you really talk with him about me for months?" I couldn't resist asking the question, I already knew it was true from how she'd reacted earlier but I still wanted to hear it from her.

"I did. I was so head-over-heals in love with you. It drove me crazy. And hiding it from you took so much control!" She rolled her eyes to express just how irritating using all that control must have been and I can't help but smile, I had felt the same way after all.

"Was?" I give her a playful pout as I ask. It took her a moment before she remembered what she'd said and burst into another brilliant smile.

"Am. I _am_ so head-over-heals for you. It does drive me crazy, but in a good way." She stands up and grabs my hand to pull me out of the seat heading in the direction of the room we'd be sharing. I took the sleeping bag on the floor (undoubtedly as Beth had intended me to) and before settling in Suzie kissed my cheek and said a simple "Goodnight."

I'm sure I fell asleep with a goofy smile on my face. Probably the best night of sleep I'd gotten since I realized my feelings for her. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, it should be fun.

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A/N: Another chapter done. Leave your thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here's another chapter. I was on a roll today. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Pishaw! Like I _could _own a television show. Yeah right.

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Waking up early had never been my thing. I hated it. But waking up early with Suzie's face hovering in front of mine and her hands shaking my shoulders I could get used to.

"Jennifer! Get up. We've got a lot to do and only a few hours to do it. Come on!" Once she saw that my eyes were open she left off shaking me and started digging through her bag for clothes. Finding what she was looking for, a button down that wouldn't ruin her hair when we have to change into our dresses, she moves into the bathroom to get dressed.

I take her cue and change into comfortable clothes that wouldn't interfere with hair or make-up in the undressing process. Grabbing purses and car keys we set off to the hair salon. Suzie is driving again, but only because she already knows where it is and how to get there. Doesn't make riding with her at the wheel any more comfortable, she's still a crazy driver.

It's eight fifteen in the morning though so there isn't much traffic. It is a Saturday after all. There aren't any little kids in the streets so the only things I've got to worry about her hitting are shrubs, parked cars, garbage cans, and mailboxes. Our hair appointment is for eight thirty, but we have to check in so we're going to be early.

We pull into the parking lot of this small place called 'Debbie's Do's'. It's painted pink with purple trim and gold lettering on the windows. It looks like a princess cake threw up all over the outside of this building. Don't get me wrong, it is cute, just not my style. We already established that pink is not my favorite color.

Going inside I got the feeling that this was the type of place where everyone knows everyone else, and Suzie fit right in. There were only three women in the shop, two of them gray haired old women and one blonde middle aged woman. Suzie greeted the large blonde woman enthusiastically.

"Debbie! It's been too long! How are you?" There was what appeared to be a bone crushing hug as Debbie replied that she was simply wonderful.

"Now, little Suzie. Who's your friend?" She turned a scrutinizing gaze on me and after a moment apparently decided that she liked what she saw because she smiled hugely and introduced herself. "I'm Debbie, proprietor of this lovely establishment. It will be my pleasure to get the two of you looking fabulous for prom. You're my only appointments until eleven so I can spend the proper amount of time perfecting your look. I've got a few helpers coming in to handle the rest of the clients today. Believe me, you aren't the only girls coming to me to fix them up. But when little Suzie called and told me what she needed I decided I'd handle the two of you personally. So what's your name?"

I was stunned by how many words she'd thrown at me and how fast they'd come. Suzie must have noticed I was a bit overwhelmed because she seamlessly answered for me. "This is Jennifer. I dragged her along so I wouldn't be all on my lonesome during prom. You and I both know Darren and Sean are going to be too preoccupied to pay any attention to Jennifer and me." Suzie turned to me and explained, "Darren's parents are pretty much the only people in town that don't know about his orientation. And Debbie is Sean's mom so she knows all about it, even approves. I've known her pretty much all my life. She's like my second mom."

"Oh." That was pretty much all I could muster. There was too much information coming at me too fast for me to process. My brain still wasn't working properly; it was too early on a Saturday for higher brain function.

"This girlfriend of yours isn't all that articulate in the morning, is she Suzie?" Debbie's question was gentle teasing and it sent the two old ladies into chuckles.

Suzie cracked a smile, patted my hand, and said "Morning really isn't her favorite part of the day. I woke her from a sound sleep and tossed her into the car before she had a chance to really wake up. Easier to keep her from running away if I keep her disoriented."

I was reeling from the casual acceptance Debbie had of Suzie and I being a couple. I decided that she was now one of my favorite people. Anyone who can be so cool about their son being gay _and_ take in stride that a girl who had been like a daughter to her is also gay, and bringing her girlfriend around to visit, has got to be just about the most awesome person in the world.

Once I registered what Suzie had said I shot a playful glare at her. "I wasn't going to run away. I was going to drive away, but you took my keys from me. Besides I'm at least going to stick around long enough to see what my dress looks like." Suzie's smile grew with my last comment.

Debbie looked a little surprised at me but amused as well. "You _do_ speak. And make jokes. How is it that you don't already know what your dress looks like?"

"Well, _some_body here bought my dress while my back was turned and refused to show it to me. I don't get to see what it looks like until I have to put it on." Another mock glare is thrown at Suzie while she continues to beam her smile to everyone.

She shrugged and said "I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, it's not often that I get to taunt her this way; it's too much fun to pass up."

"I see. Well, no matter. I just have to do your hair. What do you have in mind?" The question was directed at Suzie, knowing that it would be useless to ask me when I don't even know what my own dress looks like.

"Hmm…let's leave her hair down but add loose curls. Take two locks from the front by her temples to fasten in the back with a burette. That should go with the dress."

Debbie nodded and set to work. She kept up a steady stream of conversation between everyone in the shop; which means between Suzie, the old ladies, and I. Before she was finished she probably knew more about me than my own mother did. She seemed to approve of my plan to be an architect, was actually a little impressed with it, and said so.

When she finished my hair Suzie took my place. She was leaving her hair down and putting the loose curls in it, but she wasn't going to have the burette to contend with. Really, we hadn't needed someone to do our hair (we could have easily managed ourselves) but I have a feeling that Suzie wanted Debbie to meet me and she wanted to catch up with the older woman.

I was okay with that. Debbie is down to earth and very easy to get along with, she's exactly the kind of hairdresser everyone should have. She doesn't bother with putting glitter in hair, saying that it is only used to cover up bad work and that hair should speak for itself when it's done right. It's like painting a cherry wood table, you only do it when the workmanship is bad and you need to hide mistakes; cherry wood is meant only to have a stain on it to bring out the beauty of the grain.

Our hair didn't take very long to do; we were going with simple styles. All the extra time Debbie had between appointments was used to talk with Suzie and me and the little old ladies. It was a lot of fun. I was glad to know that Suzie had grown up knowing people like this because they were a lot better than her let-us-buy-your-love-because-we're-never-around parents. She deserved to have good, caring people to support her.

"You girls are still in town tomorrow right?" Debbie asked this as she prepared her instruments for the next appointment.

"Yeah, we're on break but we're still supposed to be home sometime tomorrow night." Suzie answered for us.

"You should come by my house with Darren, the four of you could hang out and get to know each other some more. I'd be glad to have the company." She spoke with a smile but it sounded less like an offer and more like an order; of course, it was an order we were both happy to obey.

"Okay, we'll do that. I'm sure Darren would be more than happy to have a reason to get out of the house." Amusement tinged Suzie's voice as she spoke again for us as we prepared to leave.

We left the salon all smiles and ready to face the rest of the day. Unfortunately it was still early and we had little left to do. It wouldn't take us all that long to get dressed and do our make-up, so we had roughly six hours to run around town; which is exactly how Suzie had planned it.

We went to lunch first, and then she dragged me to every shop she could think of and showed me as much of the town as she possibly could before we went back to Darren's to get ready.

She was completely ready before she turned her attention to me, knowing that I wouldn't be able to do much with my make-up until I knew what the dress looked like so it didn't end up clashing with my make-up. She sat me on a stool in the room we'd shared the night before and put on my make-up, not even letting me look in a mirror to see what I looked like, saying it might give me a clue as to what the dress would look like. I couldn't see how I would know what the dress would be from what my make-up looked like, but she assured me it was possible.

"Pucker." It was an order. She was preparing to put on my lipstick and I knew better than to disobey so I puckered. She bent down, kissed my lips and pulled away saying "Thanks. I needed that." I only rolled my eyes and muttered something about taking advantage of my innocence before letting her finish my make-up.

"Now, close your eyes." She looks at me expectantly with her eyebrows raised. "Well?"

"You aren't going to take advantage of me again are you?" I'm only teasing her and she knows it because she grins before answering.

"Of course not. I just want the dress to be a complete surprise, so close your eyes while I get it out." She waits for me to close my eyes and I can only hear her rummaging around, the swish of her dress audible in the silence of the room. I was glad that Beth had decided she'd stay out of our way until it was time to take pictures. I could only imagine what she would have said had she walked in when Suzie kissed me.

There was a rustling of paper and more dress swishing before I heard "Open your eyes."

And there Suzie stood holding a burgundy dress that looked almost purple when the light shifted just right. It was absolutely gorgeous. It had two-inch thick shoulder straps that led to a V-shaped dip in the front that would come to the middle of my breast bone, and a scooped back that would dip to just underneath my shoulder blades. The top and skirt of the dress were separated by a thin strip of black ribbon attached to the seam on the right side and would tie on the left at an angle with ample extra left to dangle attractively down my side. The skirt was a simple affair that would smooth over my hips and hang down flaring enough to give a full range of movement but looking like it would only give enough space for me to take baby steps. There was no beadwork or lacework, it didn't need it. The dress was simple and perfect.

Suzie was right; it would look good on me. And I'd look good in it. The color would complement my eyes, highlight my hair and accentuate my skin tone. "Oh my goodness," I breathed out as I stood to admire the dress close up. "Suzie, this is perfect. It's beautiful." I tore my eyes away from the dress long enough to stare into her eyes and see the smile spreading across her face.

"I told you it would be." She doesn't say this loudly, she doesn't need to, standing before her as I am she only needs to speak in a husky whisper, which is exactly what she did.

"I know, I remember." I smile myself and kiss her cheek as I take the dress out of her hands. We look into each other's eyes again for a moment before I take myself off to the bathroom to put the dress on. It fits like it was made for me, everything falling into place exactly as it should. I was even able to zip it up by myself.

Once it's on I look in the mirror to see the combined effect of hair, make-up and dress and I have to take in a sharp breath. I hardly recognize myself. I smile because I definitely look good. I use a little hand mirror on the counter to get a look at my hair from behind and see a silver burette shining out from it's nest in my hair. I also notice how the back of the dress looks and am impressed by the overall effect of it.

A knocking on the door distracts me from my thoughts "Jennifer? You alright in there?"

"I'm fine. I'll be out in two seconds." I spend another moment admiring myself in the mirror then open the door to the room beyond and Suzie. She turns from where she'd been standing with her back to the bathroom door and gets her first look at me in the dress she chose for me and her mouth drops open. She recovers quickly and grins at me.

"I chose well. You look magnificent. Absolutely breathtaking. Now it's time for shoes and accessories."

The shoes are simple flats, we don't need to make me any taller, that match the dress in color. They're very strappy sandals with a small silver buckle. There were only three accessories for me: a silver chain necklace with an intricate silver dream-catcher hanging from it, a thin silver bracelet that looked like a rope, and a little black purse with a silver chain handle. I felt that they all complemented the outfit well, with the silver offsetting the dark of the burgundy and black.

Accessories for Suzie, in her emerald and black lace dress, included a black purse with golden zipper, a gold necklace with an emerald colored pendant, one-inch thick golden bangles on each wrist, and black two-inch high heels. We made quite the pair.

We were ready. The guys were on their way. And I had an unexplainable feeling of dread making knots in my stomach.

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A/N: There, two chapters to make up for my lack of chapters in the recent past. Hope you liked them.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I know, I know! It's been too long! Bad author! It's been forever since I updated this story; I figured it was about time to get back on the ball. So, here's the next installment for you. I'm still not entirely certain where I'm taking this thing, and I warn you now: I only went to one high school dance, my senior prom, so I have no idea how any other dances are. I'm making this all up as I go along, so I hope it's all believable.

Disclaimer: (Room is filled with hysterical laughter) No, no I don't own the characters of Ned's Declassified. I only wish I did. I do own Beth, Darren, and Sean, but they're just figments of my imagination, which aren't half as fun as real people. But anyway, that's my issue, not yours. On with the story!

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My dread was justified moments later as Beth rounded a corner with a camera and several rolls of film in hand. I hate getting my picture taken. I have ever since I was small, pictures just don't come out right when I'm in them. I tried to beg my out of the photography session but neither Suzie nor Beth would allow that to happen. She must have taken two rolls of Suzie and I before the boys got there. When the guys did pull up she took another two rolls of the two of them. Then another two rolls of all four of us together. It was total overkill. What on earth was she going to do with so many pictures? What would Suzie do with copies of those pictures? I shudder to think of the possibilities.

In a few years I'll probably be glad to have those pictures, but knowing that didn't make getting them all taken any better. I will say one thing for Beth's enthusiasm over those pictures; it gave me plenty of time to check out the guys' outfits. Of course, they were in tuxedoes and both looked great. They wore black cumber buns, but their cuff links and the flowers in their button holes matched the dresses. Darren had a dark red flower, Sean a yellow one (a green flower is nearly impossible to find, so he decided to match Suzie's gold jewelry instead of her dress). They looked like they could be male models, which is kind of funny because they don't like having their picture taken any more than I do.

Somehow Darren managed to convince his mother that we absolutely had to go, we had dinner reservations and we couldn't be late or they'd give away our table. I wondered for a moment how Darren had managed to swing dinner reservations, but then I remembered that he and Suzie had been planning this for a long time. I was glad they had though. It was beginning to look like this was going to be a fun night.

Actually, I'd been having fun since this day started. Debbie's was an experience, but a good one, even though I'd been a complete dunce most of the morning. Touring the small town with Suzie had been great. Even getting all gussied up in dresses and cosmetics had been enjoyable. I didn't even mind that there were now dozens of pictures of me in a dress. I was excited. I was even looking forward to this dance, despite the deception we were laying for Beth about who our dates really were.

We had to pause just outside the house to fully process the decorated car we would be riding in. Darren hadn't been kidding yesterday when he said they were going to transform Sean's car. It's gone from regular beat-up first car to parade float. They must have worked all morning, and most of the afternoon, getting it to look like this. There were flowers all over it, covering everything but the windows. Streamers hung from the rear bumper, long enough to let everyone know they're there, but not long enough to drag in the street. It was surprisingly pretty.

Beth had followed us outside and snapped a few shots of the vehicle and of us beside the vehicle before letting us leave. Cleverly placed streamers amidst the flowers disguised the door handles and added to the whimsical look of the car. We all piled in, Suzie and I in the back admiring the flowers, Darren and Sean up front discussing the nights plans. I don't know if Beth read anything deeper in our unconscious separations of girls and boys, but I hope she didn't. It would be kind of hard to explain why we weren't sitting next to our dates for the evening.

I was amazed that the flowers didn't fall of as we drove. I was expecting to lose at least a few, but none of them came off. It was incredible. People walking on the sidewalks stopped and stared as our car passed, other motorists honked their horns (in approval or annoyance I don't know), a few people even clapped as we passed by. We were a blur of color in the grey street, all whites, pinks, blues, purples, and yellows. Streamers and petals were fluttering in the wind but holding tight to the moving car. We definitely got a lot of attention from everyone.

After a time we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Lee's. It was a Chinese buffet, I knew the moment I laid eyes on it that I would like it. It was painted in all reds and golds, with a meticulously carved dragon perched above the entryway. Walking in I noticed a stylized lion statue on either side of the doors facing into the restaurant, bringing luck. Bamboo plants were everywhere, as decoration and privacy screens between the booths. We were graciously welcomed by the floor host, she showed us to a booth as soon as she heard the reservation name and was paid for four all-you-can-eat meals (something around ten dollars per person). She seated us and left to fetch our plates.

We'd be dishing ourselves up here, which is all to the good. Once our plates were brought to us we left in pairs, leaving two at the table so we'd be able to find it again. This place was surprisingly full, but then it was Saturday evening. Suzie and Sean went first, leaving Darren and I to each other's company until they came back.

"So, what do you think?" Darren asks with an honestly curious expression on his face. I wonder what exactly he's referring to, because there are quite a few things to choose from.

My response is a necessary "Of what?"

"Of everything so far. Outfits, car, restaurant? Anything." He's still wearing the curiosity face, but it's tinged with amusement as he waits for my reply.

"Well, I must say that you and Sean do cut fine figures in those tuxedoes. I thought your mom was going to burst with pride at how handsome 'her baby' looked. I can't believe she took so many pictures, I mean, what is she going to _do_ with them all?"

He laughed. "She'll develop them, give us copies, send copies of her favorites to all our relatives, then put them in a box and never touch them again. She's done it with pretty much every set of pictures she's taken since I was born; at least that's what Dad says."

"That's crazy. You saw that she took nearly seven full rolls of film, that's a little expensive to develop for pictures she won't look at but once."

He shrugs at this but offers no explanation; his eyes seem to say 'yeah, I know, she's crazy'. "And what about the car?" It's his way of changing the subject. I guess I can understand. I wouldn't want to talk about my mom either in his shoes. I wonder what she'll do with all the pictures once she finds out he's gay.

"That car is amazing! How did you get all those flowers and streamers to stay that way? How are they going to come off? How long did it take?" I'm awash with curiosity about this car. All those flowers must have taken forever to put on.

He shoots me a beatific smile and wags his finger at me. "Ah ah ah, can't tell you how we got them on, trade secret." He winks conspiratorially, and then continues. "It took around four hours. We had so much fun putting it all together. We designed that look over the summer and have just been _dying_ for an opportunity to show off our skills!" The exclamation is accompanied by little claps and a happy wiggle in his seat. "They'll all come off with a spray solution and a garden hose tomorrow afternoon. You and little Suzie will be helping clean up the mess afterwards. Soggy flowers and streamers take a surprising amount of time to clean up. But with the four of us it shouldn't be too bad."

I'm hard pressed not to laugh at his mannerisms, he's such a card! I nod to show my assent with that plan. "That's fine. We'll be doing that at Sean's tomorrow then?"

"We will. Debbie told us this afternoon that Suzie had already promised you'd both come visit before going back home, so we figured on doing it then." I practically saw when the light bulb went off in his head, he clapped his hands in excitement again, "Hey! Why don't we all just spend the night over there? That way we'll have tonight, tomorrow morning and afternoon to hang out with Debbie and get things done. I can call my mom to let her know, we can pick up your girl stuff after the dance. That'll be so much easier!"

"Fine by me. But don't you have to ask Debbie if we can stay?"

"Nope." He flapped his hands in a dismissive gesture. "Suzie and I have standing invitations to be over there, comes from being her second set of kids, I'm sure she won't mind having you at all. She seemed to like what she saw of you this morning, so I don't see there being a problem." He's beaming now, practically glowing with happiness at his own plan.

Just then Sean and Suzie return with their plates loaded down with food. More food than they could possibly eat by themselves. "Hey, we decided to just fill these two plates and share. That way we don't have to waste anymore time gathering food." That was Sean speaking as he settled in beside Darren.

"We weren't wasting time. _We_ came up with a plan." Darren was leaning over the table and winking conspiratorially again, only this time it was directed at all of us.

Suzie smiles at the eccentricity of her favorite relative and indulgently asks, "Oh? And what is this plan, cousin dear?"

"Well. Jen and I were talking and it just hit me! We should all spend tonight at Debbie's after the dance. It's _perfect_. We won't have my mom watching our every move _and _we'll get to hang out _all night_. Then when we get up tomorrow Debbie can stuff us with one of her famous breakfasts! We'll have all of tomorrow to clean up the car and catch up with Debbie. What do you guys think?" I have no idea how he did it, but Darren said that all in one breath and now he's holding what remains of his air to wait for their response.

I see Suzie and Sean share a look, unspoken communication taking place, and a decision is reached. It's Sean who answers with a smile, "Sounds fine by me. Mom'll love it. She's always happy to have company."

Darren smiled beautifully again, one of those heart melting smiles that seems to run in his family, and says "I'll call my mom to tell her. We'll be picking up their stuff after the dance." He waves a hand in the general direction of Suzie and me as he whips out his phone and speed dials his mother.

After the call was made we turned our attention to what truly mattered, the food. I spied my greatest culinary weakness and couldn't help myself as I exclaimed "Egg rolls! Yes!" I snatched one off Suzie's plate and took a bite of it, closing my eyes in rapturous enjoyment. A mistake, for the moment my eyes closed Suzie snatched the treat out of my hand and popped the rest of it into her mouth with a chuckle.

I let out an indignant "Hey!" and I hear the boys laugh across the table with soft commiserating sighs of "Girls" complete with shaking heads. I stick my tongue out at the both of them and turn it on Suzie the egg roll thief. She smiles, pats my cheek, pecks my lips, and turns back to the plate wielding chopsticks.

Yes, tonight is going to be extremely fun.

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A/N: There you have it. Chapter…uhm…eleven? Eleven, yes, wow. This one looks like it could rival Stop Watch for chapters, we'll see. Anyway, review if you like. Also, if you get the chance, review the 'Shark' story I wrote a little while ago…no one has actually reviewed that one but I know it's been looked at. Dammit, now I sound needy. Poo. Bah! Poobah…hehehehe. Sorry. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know. I'll put up something more soon I hope.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Please don't hate me for the lateness of this chapter! I wrote it by hand in my notebook and forgot that I hadn't typed it because I was at my mom's and didn't want to save it on the computer I have to share with my older (and insufferably irritating nosy) brother. But I remembered it finally, and here it is! I know, I'm terrible, but I think I'll survive.

Disclaimer: We already know that the characters aren't mine. Only the pathetic excuse for a story line is, well and the people I make up. If I were making money off this I could pay for college. Le sigh.

Warning: Language, not terrible but still. We already know this is a slash piece. If that bothers anyone, too bad. Enjoy the chapter.

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Leaving the restaurant I knew we'd be at some diner immediately after the dance. We were going to burn right through whatever energy we'd gained at the buffet. And really, that's okay. Half the fun of going to these dances is to meet up at a diner afterwards and talk about any and everything we could think of for hours on end.

The car ride was largely uneventful. Yes, the car and its decorations earned more than a few admiring and shocked glances, and even some startled applause. But nothing terribly exciting happened, which I can only count as a good thing. I think the best part was pulling into the parking lot to the stunned stares of the other attendees. It was dark enough that pedestrians couldn't see who was in the car, and from the looks on their faces it was obvious they were all curious.

The curiosity was replaced with amusement the moment Darren and Sean stepped out of the car. Many of the students clapped and hooted their approval of the unusual vehicle. I'm pretty sure I heard a cat call or two directed at our boys, which delighted them to no end. Suzie and I got little fanfare as we got out, mostly because we were unknown in this town.

We split into our 'polite' couples, meaning the straight couples, to enter the dance. I was surprised to see their administration had rented a local ballroom for this dance. And it was a charming little place. Solid wood flooring immediately greeted my sight and made me relax. Wood work, quality wood work, had always had that effect on me. There were faux marble pillars, beautifully painted, stretching to the ceiling. The ceiling itself was domed and boasted a giant crystal chandelier and gold-colored gilding with mini-frescos giving off a very Renaissance feel. It was marvelous.

Stepping into that place was almost like stepping into a fairy tale. I know I suddenly felt like some serving-girl turned nobility, wondering if it would all go away at midnight. Ridiculous, I know, but it was all so grand and overwhelming that the impression stayed with me.

It had been decided that we'd take care of getting our pictures taken before anything else. That was we could totally wreak havoc on our finery (if we so chose) while having fun without worrying about needing to stay pretty for the pictures. So we made our way to the photo area and when our turn came the photographers were very good about taking four different pictures; one each of the 'polite' couples and one each of the real couples. One even commented on how well we all suited each other as a group, which was startling.

Once that was done we hit the dance floor. The beautiful thing about group dancing is that you can be beside whoever you want and no one will ever comment about it. There was a safety for us in the group dance. We could be with our real dates without anyone being the wiser. Of course, all the students knew Darren and Sean were gay; naturally they correctly assumed Suzie and I were together, but it was still a mystery to the administration. At least, it was until the slow dances came up.

We didn't want to dance in 'polite' couples, not that the boys weren't wonderful it just would have been pointless. So we were left with two options. We could leave the floor, or dance with our dates and damn the consequences. Not wanting to push our luck too early we opted to leave the floor and check out the buffet, which was really just cookies and punch (probably spiked). This is what we did for most of the slow songs; I believe we danced twice as the 'polite' couples.

Luckily for us, leaving the dance floor the moment a slow song ran wasn't considered suspicious behavior. We were being cautious but still having fun mingling with all the other students around the ballroom.

Suzie got numerous invitations to dance; and not a few came from already attached young men, much to the annoyance of their girlfriends and the amusement of our little group. Even I got a few invitations. We refused the better portion of these; we refused all the invites from other girls' boyfriends. Dancing was fun, but the guys here just weren't our type.

We didn't dance a slow song in our real couples until we were all ready to leave. If there were any chance they'd kick us out for this, at least we'd be ready and willing to go. So when we were thoroughly satisfied with our experience we took our chances with a slow song and danced with our respective partners.

Darren and Sean slipped easily into a close embrace while they danced. I held Suzie near as we fell into comfortable steps as though we'd been dancing them together all our lives. It was immensely satisfying to finally have her in my arms, fitting perfectly with me, while out actions publicly declared our status as together.

"This is…this has been-" I tried telling her how perfect everything had been, but words failed me and I was forced to admit, "I'm glad you roped me into this."

She smiled up at me with a twinkle in her eyes and replied "Me too." Then, with no warning, she surged up and kissed me.

My knee jerk reaction, much to my surprise, had me pulling her closer and holding her tighter while I stopped our swaying dance before I could fully process what was happening. Once my brain caught up with my body I kissed her back with every ounce of pent up tension we'd been building since middle school. When it ended I had to rest my forehead against hers to recover.

I hear her whisper, "We should have done that a long time ago." My eyes snap open in surprise and I let out a startled laugh. She's smiling at me again.

Unconsciously I tilt my head and smile back saying "We'll just have to make up for lost time then." I lean in to kiss her again but before I can we're interrupted by the forbidding voice of an angry chaperone.

"Absolutely unacceptable! I will not have you- you- _homosexuals_ –ruining this dance for everyone else. You have to leave. Now!" The man screeching had managed to make the word 'homosexuals' sound like a curse, spitting it out like one would a foul taste. He was also a foot shorter than I, obese, sweating, and bald. I hated him instantly.

I looked around to find Darren and Sean had been physically separated from each other by more adults and what passed for security. There was another set headed towards Suzie and me, but we disengaged before they had reason to lay hands on us.

"Mr. Morgan and Mr. Mason," the little man sneered, "why am I not surprised? And these…young ladies…must be your supposed dates." His mouth twisted into a cruel smile that looked more like a grimace, he took malicious pleasure in hurting others, I could tell. "This deviant behavior necessitates a call to your parents. Time for you to leave."

Boos from the students were heard at this pronouncement. At least they knew how wrong this all was. We were escorted out of the ballroom curiously pleased at the whole affair. This would probably be in the newspaper within two days.

At least, we were pleased until we recalled that little toad of a man would probably call the guys' parents immediately. He was like that, smarmy bastard. Sean's parents would be fine, they already knew and they supported their son. But Darren's mom, Beth, Mrs. I-hate-anything-different-or-not-in-my-preconceived-notions-of-acceptable-behaviors-for-young-people, she was going to go ballistic.

All we could do was pray we got there before his call was answered so we could get our things and maybe explain ourselves…I think we're in trouble. Big trouble.

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A/N: There you have it. If anyone is still reading this travesty, please leave a review. Let me know what you think about this whole thing. Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Okay, so it's much later than I wanted it up, but here it is. By the way, you can thank my brother for this chapter. If he hadn't started talking about writing a Harry Potter fic with a Cedric/Oliver pairing I probably wouldn't have written this chapter over the weekend. You may also thank ABCCJPTT for inspiring me by writing her own Mozie story _Stoplight_. I encourage all of you to give it a read if you haven't already done so, without it I probably would have forgotten to post this chapter.

Disclaimer: The characters I created obviously belong to me. Those I didn't create obviously don't. See how that works? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pop-tart calling my name…that's kind of scary actually.

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The drive back to Darren's house was far less enjoyable than the drive to the dance had been. Not because people were still staring at the artwork that was the car, but because we were all terrified of what might happen at the end of this trip. We were silent, each thinking our own private thoughts, fearing what would come next, imagining our worst nightmares come to life.

What exactly was that toad going to say in that phone call? How were Darren's parents going to react? Would they call Sean's mother? What would she say about this? Would they call Suzie's parents? Would that, in turn, lead to a call to mine? Were we ready for them to know? Were they? What would we do if our parents couldn't handle this? What if _we_ can't handle this? What happens then? Could _I_ handle this? Did I really want to?

…Yes. I do. I can. And I will. All I have to do is look at her and I know that I don't have to worry. Whatever our parents might say or do about this doesn't really matter as long as she stays with me. I know that together we can handle this. _I _can handle this. I want to. Now that I have her I _will not_ let groundless fears get in the way.

I don't care what that little toad says, he doesn't matter. No one can bring the world down around us, we won't let them. The four of us are a unit now, a family of choice. That won't change no matter what people might say. Suzie's parents, my parents, the whole world will just have to deal with us. All of us. I'm not going to let any small minded person stop me from being with whomever I love.

Just as all of this settles firmly into my mind we pull into Darren's driveway. It's time to face the music, however discordant it may be.

We tried to prepare ourselves on the walk from the car to the door by holding hands and taking strength from shared glances, but I'm not sure how successful we were. I know that Darren has the worst of it, it's his mother we're about to face and she has some rather narrow views of the world. I knew that I was as confident as I'd ever be, but we all seemed a little pale and strained to my eyes as we entered. I don't think that with all the time in the world we'd have had enough to prepare for what we found inside. I know this was just about the last thing _I'd_ ever expected.

Anger I could have handled. Joy, even better, but not this. I couldn't handle this one. Not tears. I've never been able to handle tears; and that's just what we encountered. Mrs. Beth Morgan sat on her stairs with her face in her hands, sobbing. The noise echoed into the silence of her home. The cordless phone lay broken on the floor, apparently shattered upon impact with the wall opposite the stairs.

Darren, ever the dutiful son and much quicker to take in the scene, cried out "Mom!" and was by her side in mere moments. The rest of us stood stunned in the entryway, unable to look away, unable to take it all in, and utterly unable to do anything. So we stood, and watched.

At Darren's shout Mrs. Morgan's head had shot up, giving us a clear look at her red, tear-stained face. "Say it isn't true. Tell me they're lying." Her voice was hoarse and shaking as she directed the questions directly to her son.

He only responded with a soft "Mom…"

"Tell me you aren't…what they say you are." She pled with her son, a note of desperation leaking into her voice.

Darren shook his head. "I can't. It wouldn't be true." He moved his hand as though to put it on her arm, but dropped it before making contact.

"You aren't! It isn't true! It can't be. Not _my_ son. Not _my_ little boy." She was shaking her head vehemently, fresh tears crowding her eyes.

"Mom," he moved toward her, but she backed away.

"You can't be," she said this in a near whisper, tears spilling down her cheeks, and eyes searching those of her son. When he didn't say anything, just sadly looked back, she let out a sob but tried to smother it with her hand.

"So it's true then?" she asked softly as she tried to master herself. "You're really-" Here she visibly collected herself, straightening her back and looking at him levelly. "You're…gay?" That last word was said tentatively, as though she was unsure of it's meaning, but surprisingly with no hint of the scorn or anger I'd expected. There was only caring.

Darren stared back and replied firmly, proudly "I am."

She looked at him for a moment then sighed. Her gaze turned to we remaining three, still spellbound in her doorway, assessing us. "And you all as well?"

We each replied in the affirmative, taking our cues from Darren. "Well," she said staring directly at me, "that certainly explains your career goal."

That startled a laugh out of me as I remembered our conversation (was it only yesterday?) about my plans to become an architect. That bald statement turned joke seemed to break the tension for all of us as tentative smiles rose to everyone's faces, even Beth's.

"Mom? Are you okay? With all of this, I mean." Darren still stood slightly in front of his mother, shoulders a little hunched as if waiting for a blow that never came.

Beth thought a moment before speaking. "I've noticed you weren't like other boys for a while now, there were always little signs that I tried to ignore. When I got that call tonight I thought it was heralding the end of my world, ending all of my dreams for you. My son is gay. He won't ever settle down with a nice girl and have children of his own. I wouldn't ever get the grandchildren I've been dreaming of. But, then I thought, it can't be the end of the world. So that means it's just changing according to God's will. And that means I can either change with it or…be left behind." She reached out and cupped Darren's cheek, "I don't want to be left behind."

We all saw the tears fill Darren's eyes and the smile break across his face as he replied "Never Mom!" and caught her up in a hug. Both of them crying and laughing.

I felt Suzie squeeze my hand, which I hadn't realized she was still holding, so I looked down to meet her eyes. She was crying too, but she was happy. "Do you think we'll get that lucky?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my waist while still watching her cousin and aunt.

"I hope so. I really do." I said, pulling her a little closer and holding her a little tighter for a moment, while Sean was swept up into the hug between Darren and his mother.

And I really do. I don't want to have to fight with my parents or Suzie's parents over this. I mean, if someone like Mrs. Morgan can take this in stride, why shouldn't our parents?

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A/N: The pop-tart is vanquished. There's the chapter for you. Let me know what you think. I'll do my best to finish this story before the summer ends, but I'm kind of stuck. If those of you still reading have any ideas for where I can take this thing to end it, please tell me about them.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: It took awhile, but it's finally here, the next chapter. Actually, it's the first of two, and the lead up to the end. Yes, you heard me correctly. These are the last two chapters. I start school in the morning and I said I'd have this finished before school started, and I do. Neener.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Much as I wish they were.

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I was happy for them. Darren's mom was their only real obstacle to face, and she had accepted them a lot more easily than any of us had expected. I guess she must have realized that there are worse things than having a gay son. I thought she'd be stuck with that backwards unchanging view of the world, where everyone had their place, and for once I am thrilled to be wrong.

Beth has actually been really cool about this whole thing. Before we left that night to go to Debbie's I heard her planning to call the school and register a complaint about the little toad that had kicked us out of the dance. It seems that once this woman forms an opinion on something she takes up arms and defends it for all she's worth; which could only work out well for Darren, and poorly for anyone fool enough to pick on him. Darren invited her to breakfast at Debbie's the next morning, she declined saying she'd be busy at the church with her husband but would expect Darren, Sean, and Debbie over for dinner that night.

Suzie and I had quickly gathered out things and piled them in my car, which I would drive to Sean's. We'd be leaving directly from Debbie's soon after breakfast. This ride was much less somber than our last one. Suzie was practically beaming her satisfaction. It made me smile to see her so thrilled.

"I can't believe it," she squeals into the car.

"What?"

"I can't believe Aunt Beth was so…calm about this," Suzie begins responding to my question. "I mean, all our lives she's been trying to force her beliefs on Darren and I, twisting scripture to support her opinions. She was always warning us about 'those immoral homos' and here she is pulling a one-eighty on us! It's great, but I don't get it. Have her beliefs always been this flexible?"

"Well, I think I get it. It was a lot easier to condemn a faceless group of people based on misconceptions and vague ideas of what they're all like. She's never known any personally. But it's a lot more difficult for her to condemn her only son, especially when she knows for a fact he isn't at all immoral. It's harder to maintain such rigid beliefs when it's her baby boy who's one of 'them'." My words aren't really coming out the way I want them to, but I hope she got my meaning anyway.

"So, you're saying it's different when it's personal."

More of a statement than a question, but I respond anyway. "Exactly." I nod to emphasize my point, knowing she was watching me, while I kept my eyes on the road so I could keep following Sean to his home.

Suzie sits in silence for a moment before breaking it with "huh." Also a statement accompanied by a shrug. "I never really thought that way. But you're right. It's always different when it's personal. I, of all people, should know that's true."

That roused my curiosity. "What do you mean 'you of all people'?" I glance at her quickly as we pass under a street lamp and see a fierce blush color her face and the tips of her ears, it's so cute that I can't help but smile.

"Um, nothing." She says too quickly. "Nothing really." She looks away out the window, trying to weasel our of answering. No way I'm letting that happen.

"Oh come on! Tell me." I know I can't force her to answer, but maybe if I keep wheedling she'll crack.

"Nothing! It's nothing! It didn't mean anything, honest." She's laughing a little and holding up her hands to ward off my prying, knowing it's futile even as she does so.

"Tell."

"No." She raises her chin stubbornly and looks away.

I wait a moment before I sing-song "Te-ell."

She laughs a little and says "No."

"Tell."

"No." So we go into a lightning round.

"Tell." "No." "Tell." "No." "Tell." "No."

"Tell!" And finally—

"FINE! Ugh, how irritating," her chuckle takes any sting out of the words and I let a grin spread across my face. "You know, you really should work on that letting-things-go issue you seem to have—"

"Tell!" I interrupt, and both of us laugh.

"Alright, alright. Okay. What I meant was that I should know that things are different when they're personal. See, I always kind of thought that-that…" She trailed off, obviously embarrassed.

I prompted her, "That what?" I have to hear the rest of this now. It sounds like prime teasing material.

She sighed heavily, then said in a rush "thatgirlswholikedothergirlswereyuckyandthenIstartedcrushingonyouinmiddleschoolandeverythingchangedandallIcouldthinkaboutwashowmuchIlikedyouandthatitwasn'treallyyuckyatall!" All one word; didn't even pause to take a breath, which of course meant that she had to take a few deep breaths to recover.

Once I had puzzled all that out, I laughed.

And laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

At least she started laughing with me.

"You-haha-you really—hee!-seriously? HAHAHA!" I was laughing hard enough that tears started and I could barely see Sean driving in front of me. Lucky for me it was about this point he pulled into a long driveway and I followed, thankful to be off the road.

"Oh man," I finally wheezed out after I had parked the car. "That's too much."

"You can't tell the guys that! Or anyone else!" She was still laughing a little and looking at her sent me into fits of giggles. We were both red in the face and gasping with laughter when the guys came to retrieve us from my car.

"What's so funny ladies?" Sean asks as he and Darren help us out.

"Oh, nothing. Just…reminiscing." I say after Suzie shoots me a pleading look.

They shrug and grab our bags from the car to carry them inside like proper gentlemen. Suzie and I followed them up the walk holding hands.

She stops a little ways outside and pulls me into a kiss.

I know I probably shouldn't, but I can't help myself when she pulls away, I can't resist saying "yucky" just to poke fun at her.

She slaps my arm and says "shut up" even as she leans in for another kiss, which I am all to happy to give.

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A/N: There's that one down. Click the button for the next one. You know which one.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This is the last chapter. WOOHOO! Now, it's definitely abrupt, but I hope not too out of place. So, I end it now, while I think it still has some merit to it. I hope you've enjoyed this story, I have enjoyed writing it. But all good things must come to an end.

Disclaimer: They've never been mine…it was all just some wonderful dream…

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We end our kiss and finally step inside, where Debbie was waiting for us.

"Hey kids. I got an interesting call from your school tonight," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, knowing we're in on the joke, but she quickly sobers "How'd Beth take it?"

Darren is all smiles as he replies "Surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that she's going to complain to the school about the guy that kicked us out and she expects you and Sean over for dinner tomorrow."

Debbie barks out a laugh and exclaims "Hot damn!" She grabs the boys up in a hug while talking. "That woman's got guts. I like that."

She lets the boys go and moves on to Suzie. "Ah, my favorite surrogate niece. Glad to see your hair survived. Does me proud to see my work hold up so well." When she releases Suzie she startles me by grabbing me next; I think I actually yelped. "No one escapes my hugs, sweet pea. Especially not when I'm happy. So take it with a smile."

I laugh and say "Yes ma'am," throwing her a mock salute.

She barks out another laugh and herds us all into the living room, which is set up for all of us to sleep in. "Now, before you all run off to change, I Want Details! Tell me _everything_!"

So we do. From the time the boys picked us up to leaving Darren's house a second time, the four of us manage to relate the whole tale, and Debbie revels in it.

"The girls are going to _love_ hearing about this. They live for this kind of gossip." She laughs a little and continues "You know I expect copies of all the pictures for display in the shop. The girls'll love 'em."

"Of course, Mom." Sean replies as if he'd planned that all along, and he probably had. It wouldn't surprise me. Debbie's one of those rare type of moms who you want to include in everything. She's just that cool.

Eventually she left us all to go to bed. Naturally we stayed up to gab.

Suzie and I told stories about the people at our school and the boys responded in kind. Somewhere in the midst of our tales we'd managed to change into pajamas and set a movie running. Appropriately enough we totally fell asleep during it (as much as we love The Little Mermaid, we were just too tired) and curled up around our partners.

We woke in the morning to the sounds of pots banging and off-key singing. Suzie, who had been sleeping on my shoulder, groaned and pulled a blanket over her head and mine. I chuckled a little and kissed the top of her head before pushing the blanket back down and nudging her off me. Sean and Darren were both stirring, but making no real motions to get up. I left them all lying in their heaps on the floor to see if I could help Debbie with breakfast.

She was all too pleased to commandeer my services and immediately set me to work manning the waffle iron. By the time the other three were up and fully conscious Debbie and I had turned out a rather impressive pile of waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast with milk and orange juice on the side.

"Alright! Waffles!" Was all Sean said before heaping his plate with enormous stacks of everything and liberally dousing it all with maple syrup and strawberry jam.

The rest of us just laughed and took far more modest portions for ourselves.

After eating we got dressed and went out to see about cleaning up the flower-covered car. Darren and Sean assured us it would only take a little soap and water…and a lot of elbow grease. It took a few hours, but we did eventually manage to return the car to its less floral state, and by then it was time for Suzie and I to leave.

We were a little sad to go, but we went through a round of hugs and were on our way back home, presumably to face some confessions of our own. But I'm not worried.

So what if we're gay? We live in California for goodness' sake; you probably aren't going to find a larger gay population anywhere else. My parents have already told me that it's okay if I'm gay, they'd still love me. It was weird when they started telling me that, but I didn't think much of it. They started telling me that in middle school when I got so involved in woodshop, and after having a meeting with Principal Pal where he kept telling them I was 'such a nice young man' and praising my firm handshake. Thinking about that now, it's kind of funny. I'll never figure out why he mistook me for a guy, Ned for a girl I can see, but not me for a guy…it just doesn't make sense.

Suzie breaks my train of thought when she sighed, laced our fingers, and spoke. "My parents are going to be ecstatic."

"Huh? Why?" I know. I was really articulate just then, but I was startled.

"You know how I told you I'd had a crush on you since middle school?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I told them about it pretty much the moment it developed. They've been encouraging me to 'make my move' ever since. It was actually my mom's idea to invite you to this dance. She said she though that maybe it would be easier for me to get up the courage to really ask you out if we were away from home. I guess she was right." She gave my hand a little squeeze and sighed happily.

I brought her hand to my lips and kissed the back, "I'm glad she was."

"Me too…Hey, Jennifer?"

"Hm?"

"How're your parents going to take this?" I expected this question and had a fairly likely answer worked out already.

"They'll probably say they knew it all along, point out some interesting behavioral clues, and then take us out for ice-cream."

And that's pretty much exactly what happened when we told my parents that same afternoon we got home, except that they took us to lunch with Suzie's parents instead of ice-cream. I did get my dairy treat for dessert though, so that's okay.

The people at school pretty much took it in stride. Of course, here were some who didn't like it at all, others that liked it a little too much, and those who didn't care either way. It was actually pretty calm. It made us a little more popular though. Individually we were popular before, but it was like our popularity multiplied after we started dating. Totally weird.

Oh! And then there was Loomer and his buddies. After they head that I was dating Suzie they started hanging around me more. Acting all buddy-buddy. And that was fine, they were funny most of the time. It was like having my own personal set of the Three Stooges. At least until Billy asked if he could watch sometime while the other two nodded their agreement. Then I had to get all 'senseless violence' on them and beat them up a little.

Other than that, everything has been smooth sailing. She and I spend most of our time together and love every minute of it.

Our parents are happy. They're practically planning our wedding. Ridiculous.

But we're happy too, and that isn't likely to change any time soon.

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A/N (be warned, it's a long one): There you have it! The final two chapters. I hope they were worth the incredibly long wait. You know, it isn't easy ending a story, but waffles make it go just that much better. It was my pleasure to bring this to you, and I hope it will be your pleasure to leave me a review!

Oh! I don't own Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' or 'The Three Stooges', but I have watched them recently. I love Ursula so much. Not everyone can burst out of a wedding dress the way she can.

I'll take suggestions for the next story if any of you are inclined to give them. I'm already planning another Missifer, but I'm still willing to hear what you've got.

Anyway, thanks all for reading! Hope you liked it.


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